The kitchen is one of the most important areas in your home in the eyes of the potential buyer. Is yours ready to show? After you have cleared all the clutter off the counters, how does your kitchen present itself? There are a few things you can do to help your kitchen sell your home.
It isn't necessary to remodel your kitchen in order to sell your house. You just need to show it at its best. In addition to clearing all the clutter from the counters, make sure to clean out the drawers and cabinets. You can be sure that potential buyers will open them to see how much space there really is. Putting things in storage may seem inconvenient, but it will pay off in the long run.
Does your kitchen look old and well used? Consider a fresh coat of paint, new cupboard and drawer pulls, and new window treatments. Make sure your windows are clean, inside and out. The appliances should be sparkling clean. The sink is very important. There should be no stains or leftover bits of food, and make sure there are no odors coming from a garbage disposal. Hide the garbage cans, and make sure they are empty before each showing.
Make your home the one the buyers remember and want to return to. For more information about how to make your kitchen open, warm, and inviting, visit my website and like my page on Facebook.
Cyndi, I like the fact that you brought up the importance of having a clean, non-smelly sink! An unpleasant odor is a sure turn-off when it comes to buyers looking at homes. :)
Leilani
Kitchens and bathrooms need to be exceptionally clean! As Leilani states in her comment, unpleasant odors are a sure turn-off.
The Kitchen should be up to date, clean, including the Garbage Disposal and more. This is a really good post on a most important topic.
Good morning, Cyndi - good post. Nothing sells a house as well as a great kitchen, and nothing closes the door better than an old outdated or dirty kitchen.
Cyndi, an important point because kitchens and bathrooms can be a deal breaker. Congratulations on the Feature!
I agree . Most people love to have a nice updated kitchen in their homes.
Couldn't agree more. The kitchen is one of the biggest selling points in a home. Good post!
I might mention that adding flowers to the focus of the home..that is the kitchen makes it glow
Cyndi - Great Advice. There are so many things a seller can do to freshen up the look of their kitchen.
Cyndi, No question about it - kitchens are the most important part. My most difficuld task in RE is getting sellers to remove all the clutter before I photograph.
If they don't like the kitchen, the rest of the house doesn't matter. And, I do wish people would clean out their kitchen drawers and cabinets!
Leilani, Mryl & David - It's scarry what I have smell when I'm in the kitchen and most of it is easy to take care of. Part of staging is having the place smell right. I actually bring cleaning liquids with me when I stage a home.
Richie - I like the idea of flowers. But I'm concern with the flowers after a week. I've gone to show homes before where the flowers should have been tossed. You've brought up a great point though. Next time I do an open house, I'll bring with me instead of plate of fattening cookies a potted flowering plant. That way, I'll go home with it instead of an empty plate (which I ate most of the cookies).
Michael - Thank You so much! I was surprised with the feature. Not new to Active Rain, but I have only recently discovered how much fun blogging is!
Hi Cyndi, so true. It is where families drift into, always, at a gathering and have a great time.
Very true. I have a beautiful listing under contract now, and one of its fabulous features is the recent $50,000 kitchen remodel!
Yep, a well-presented and clean kitchen is so important. I am amazed at the number of homes that have messy, stinky kitchens.
Cyndi ... Agree with you that nice kitchens - well-designed and cared for - is what impresses home buyers these days.
Cyndi -
Congrats on the featured post! I think it's well done, to the point and so accurate. AND, can I say I love that you now think blogging is fun?!! That's the best news from anyone coming through my blogging clinics! Keep it up! Mavis
There is no quicker way to turn off a potential buyer than to have a dirty kitchen....oh wait, maybe a dirty bathroom!
I completely agree. I consider curb appeal to be first, second is the sight when you first walk in the front door (usually great room or living room), then the kitchen. You can get away with a dated or dirty bedroom, but the kitchen is the center of the house for many families... it's got to show well.
Gretchen
Wayne - My photograher and I actually will move everything off the counters and only leave a few items (sometimes we have to use some of my staging accessories) before we take the photo. Clutter is a big turn off. One of my sellers said after they saw the photos, "Wow, we didn't think that was our kitchen at first, we've never been in this house". It is also amazing how they manage to keep things that way or at least a little bit better after that.
Bill - Congratulations on the sale you have under contract! Bet that kitchen had a big affect on it bringing the buyer to put it in contract.
Paula - you are so right! Also sticky countertops! Yuck. I had a highend bank owned property that I was finally able to get the asset manager to agree to hire a professional cleaner to clean the kitchen. It had stick counter tops, sticky cabinets, sticky walls.
Krista - You are so right! You just gave me the next topic to blog about!
Dominic - I wrote a blog about that too: http://actvra.in/Cvw I will add the mulching to the list. Thank You!
I couldn't agree more. Even if they are not gourmet cooks but they love the look of renovated/ upgraded kitchens.
i couldn't agree with you more and even a dated kitchen, if it's designed correctly and everything is kept up will sell. Some people are actually looking for retro in my market. Doesn't need to be brand new, but it does need to sparkle, no matter what age ;-)
Cyndi: Congratulations on your feature. Is this your first? It is true. The focal point is the kitchen. I remember when we bought our house. We were drawn to the open format of the kitchen. It's probably because we both loved to eat! Have a great day!
Cyndi, the kitchen is at the top of the list for buyers, for sure. Just today, I showed a house and the owners left piles of clothes all over the counters. Makes no sense to me.
Cyndi, you're so right about the importance of making the kitchen look its best. I'm working on a listing right now that has a challenged kitchen. Your tips are a big help.
I folks want to know what improvments to make.. kitchens and bathrooms are the first area to do any remodeling!
Jennifer - so right you are. I'm not a cook but I sure do appreciate a nice kitchen!
Carla - Yup, doesn't matter if it is old just so long as it sparkles. Love that word, Sparkle!
Paul - Yes it is my first feature! Thanks for all your encouragement!
Eric - pile of clothes? Sure it wasn't a huge laundry room you were in? :-)
Patricia - I like that - "challenged" - I'll remember to use that word next time I see one of those.
Joan - Yes, indeed. They can handle new paint but yucky kitchens + yucky bathrooms = huge discount on the price!
I agree, the kitchen is the most important room. I think it may be because it is the woman who ultimnately makes the decision. Not being sexist, but if it were the man, the garage would be the number one priority.
Gary - That's how it is in my family! My honey is always asking how come the garage is not one of the photos that is shown in the marketing of a listing. I told him it is usually either too small to get a good photograph of or it is just too darn full of stuff that was moved from the inside of the house when they put it up for sale.
Absolutely. A fresh kitchen goes a long way. At this point we more often than not just replace the entire thing. It's almost easier than updating them in many cases as the layouts of yesteryear don't tend to fly as well these days. Unless it's a small kitchen in which case, a simple update will take care of it. Nice reminder!
Good information for home sellers.
Have an outstanding week.